Destiny Has Its Ways
by Corny89
Summary: 18 years after Derek chose Addison, McDreamy pays his family in New York a visit, where he finds out that destiny still has something up its sleeve…
1. Life's Not Easy

Ok this is my first GA fanfic, please be indulgent (I'm from Germany and therefore English isn't my native language) if I make mistakes (above all comma placement is a problem, in German this is complicated so if I don't even get this in my first language…;-) ), I'll do my best!

Reviews would be nice! Thank you in anticipation!

The story starts with the conversation between Derek and Meredith while preparing for the OR (2x06: Into You Like A Train)

P.S.: forget about the elapsed time. I don't like old Mer and Der ;-); I will not be particular about this.

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**Destiny Has Its Ways**

**  
**

_SGH, Seattle, Washington; OR_

"Mer…" Derek started slowly as the woman he loved more than anything else glanced at him, while he was searching for the right words to explain.

She looked at him and then she knew. "You're staying with her. "

Her eyes filled with tears, which she wiped away quickly.

"She's my wife. I have to give it another trial." Derek said while looking at her sadly and then lowered his head.

Two weeks after this incident, on a rainy Monday morning Meredith said goodbye to her friends.

An hour later she was at the airport in order to take the next flight to New York.

She took a deep breath. "It will get better. I will manage this. WE will manage this." she said while placing a hand on her abdomen. She had to believe this although she was scared.

Manhattan, New York; 18 years later

"Liam! Steph! Hurry up, we're late! "Meredith shouted upstairs, visibly stressed.

"Just a sec!"

After a brief time, two youths jumped down the stairs into the hall.

Both smirked at the sight of their mother standing in front of them, trying to give them a stern look.

Meredith couldn't help smiling to herself as she saw her son Liam, who was tall and had short black wavy hair standing next to his sister Stephanie, almost same size, who had shoulder-length dark blond curled hair.

Liam looked at her with a feigned look of guiltiness with his freakin' blue eyes.

Steph had greyish green eyes. Mer had no idea where she got them from.

"Enough already, we're running late!" she said smiling but nevertheless with a trace of rush in her voice, so the kids grabbed their schoolbags, followed their mother and climbed in the car.

About ten minutes later they arrived in front of their high school.

"Okay, I'll fetch you at Tom's this evening after my surgery" Meredith said to Liam, leaning out of the window.

He answered with a nod.

Their mother tried hard to accommodate a number of things, but as a single parent and a surgeon, life wasn't easy. They did everything to make things work.

"I'll be home at about six" Steph told her mother before she shut the window.

"Bye Mom", they said synchronously and walked towards the entrance while Mer drove to work.

In the car, she reflected about her life. "I'm so happy I didn't become my mother."

She thought relieved.

Indeed, when she found out that she was pregnant she couldn't imagine being a good mother; and she was too afraid to try because of her childhood with her stressed Mom, who always had only her career in mind.

But now, she couldn't even imagine a life without her children.

"It's good when you are content with who you are." she thought and had to smile.

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"I got a B in maths! I can't believe this!" Liam grinned.

He always had been lousy in maths.

He and his sister liked other stuff, like chemistry or biology. Things that made sense.

Maths was like a closed book to them.

"You're lucky, I have a D, my Mom is going to kill me!"

"Come on, it won't be that bad!" Liam said and grabbed Tom's shoulder, who was his best friend since kindergarten.

"We'll see" Tom muttered as they arrived at his parent's house. They walked up the stairs, where he unlocked the door and the two entered the hall.

Liam didn't even look around. Everything was familiar to him; he knew this house inside out cuz he was coming here nearly every week since he was three.

But as he looked down he noticed a pair of sneakers which were strange to him.

"You have somebody over?" Liam asked Tom by the way.

"Yeah, my uncle's on a visit for a week. I think he's at home by now, you're going to like him." Tom walked towards the kitchen and Liam followed him.

As they entered the room Liam saw Tom's Mom sitting at table opposite to a tall man with short black wavy hair.

She looked up. "Hey, the two of you! How was school today?" Liam really liked Tom's Mom. Every time he was around he felt quite informal.

"Hey champion!" The tall man greeted Tom with a light claps on his shoulder. Then the man noticed Liam. And Liam noticed his freakin' blue eyes.

Tom introduced them to each other. "This is Liam." he told his uncle.

"Liam, this is my uncle Derek."

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	2. The Visitor

Here's my update!

Hope you'll like it,

Greetz,

Steph (yeah my name's Steph too, I'm just pretty content with it, so I chose it for my character)

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Liam looked at Derek and shook his hand.

"So, you're Liam. I've heard a lot of you. Nice to meet you finally!" Tom's uncle gave him a smile.

"Glad to meet you, too." Liam responded and smiled back.

"So, what are you guys up to today?" Tom's mom asked curiously.

"Well, we'll go upstairs and gamble!" Tom answered his mother while chomping a muffin.

With these words they went upstairs at Tom's room and played video games.

"Seems to be a nice boy" Derek turned to his sister.

"Yeah he is. They're friends since first day at kindergarten. They were the only kids who didn't cry when the mommies left, they just started playing." She laughed.

"I see." Derek smirked.

About two hours later the boys returned to the kitchen where the sat down next to Tom's mom.

"Uncle Derek, are you going to watch our game tomorrow?" Tom asked him with an inquisitive look.

"Of course buddy, I'm not going to miss this season's football semi-finale!"

"Me neither." His mother said while tousling his hairs.

"Mom, stop it" he told her and rolled his eyes.

Then Derek turned towards Liam. "So, you're in the team as well?" Liam nodded.

"Which position?"

"I'm the quarterback." Liam returned.

Normally he was a bit shy when he metnew people. But this man seemed quite familiar. He didn't know why. Just a feeling.

"_This youngster remembers me a lot of myself." _Derek thought and had to smile.

He just wanted to know more about this boy.

"So, your parents watch your games?" he questioned him.

"Um, yeah my mom watches as often as she can arrange it with her job. She's a surgeon."

"A surgeon." Derek grinned. He just knew what he talked about. As a surgeon, privacy life and career wasn't easy to reconcile.

"Uncle Derek's a surgeon, too." Tom told Liam and pointed at his uncle.

Just as Liam wanted to say something, Derek's sister got up from the table.

"Well guys, I've got to go. I have to take your brother to the train station." She told Tom.

"Liam, see you soon!" she tousled his hair too and left.

"Bye Mrs. Towell." Liam said politely.

One hour got by, the three "boys" just sat at table and talked about everything and anything. Liam really liked Derek. He was like the rest of the family. Friendly and natural.

"You like fishing?" Derek asked Liam surprised.

He had the feeling that not very much boys at this age liked this kind of easing. Derek had tried often to get some of his nephews to go fishing with him when he was in town.

"Fishing is boring!" Tom groaned. Liam and Derek ignored him with a smile.

"Yeah, I love to but I don't have time often." Liam carried on. "There's school and football and... "

"Oh well, football. Yeah, you said your mom comes to your games and what about your dad? Doesn't he like football?" Derek chimed in unintentional.

"Um, well…" Tom cut into the discussion to save his friend from bashfulness.

"No Tom, it's ok." Liam told his friend, who nodded in agreement.

"Well, I don't have a dad. Well, of course I HAVE a dad" Liam went on when he saw Derek raising one eyebrow, "but I don't know him. And he doesn't know me." he continued.

"Oh." That was all Derek could say.

"Yeah. The bugger left my mom when she was not even all two month pregnant. In his defence, I have to say that he didn't know. Even so, he knocked her up and left her." he told Derek with such a casualness. However, it couldn't cover his glance (at least not for Derek) which was a mixture of anger, sorrow and something that told Derek that he was resigned to the fact."

Derek looked at Liam, fascinated. There was something about him…he didn't know how to describe it. A few minutes he just sat there and observed him. He saw a lot of himself in this boy.

After half an hour, the three noticed a car through the window, which stopped in front of the house.

"I guess that's my mom." Liam stood up, said goodbye to Tom with a clasp of hands and turned around to Derek and they shook hands.

Then Liam grabbed his jacket, left the house, climbed into his mother's car and drove away.

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	3. Always In My Heart

so, next chapter's online.

As ya know, i love reviews!

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"Oh come on!" Steph shouted outraged. "Three red shells in a row, you're an ass!"

She was sitting in her room, playing _Mario Kart_ with her brother.

"I'm an ass? No, I'm a cutie and I know you love me, sis!" Liam replied boastfully and laughed.

Steph hit him on the upper arm. "Ouch!" Her brother grinned.

"That was for being such a bumptious ass!" she cleared herself.

After a few minutes, their mother knocked at the door.

"Hey, the two of you! Everything's alright?" Meredith asked her children.

"Steph hit me!" Liam complained while smirking.

"Oh I'm sure you deserved it." Mer laughed. "I just wanted to say that dinner's ready."

"Okey dokey!" Liam and Steph turned off the tube and went downstairs.

"So, how was school today?" Meredith asked while she was placing a pan of pasta in the midst of the table. Then she sat down.

"I got a B in maths!" Liam responded proudly.

"Good. And what about you?" Mer turned towards her daughter.

"Me too." she told her mother as she poured herself some water in a jar.

"Mom, have you laundered my jersey already?" Liam wanted to know.

"Yeah, it's in the wash room. Apropos, I have tomorrow off and so I'm able to watch your game."

"Great. You know, Tom's uncle is in town. He'll be there as well. I met him today." Liam told Meredith.

"I see. So, he's nice?" His mother requested.

"Yeah he's pretty cool."

Then the two youths went upstairs.

Steph did her homework and Liam placed his jersey and his captain's armband on his chair before he did his homework as well.

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Meredith sat in the living room and watched _How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days_.

Then she noticed a photo album lying on the sofa.

It was album with photos of Liam and Steph. Mer grumbled. She was fed up with putting away the stuff of her kids. But then she sat down and leafed through it. She had to smile as she remembered all the nice moments.

Meredith with a huge belly while pregnancy –

Meredith in a hospital bed, a blue and a pink bundle lying on her chest –

Liam and Steph as toddlers, fighting for a cuddly toy –

on their first school day –

Liam playing football –

Steph playing baseball –

and so forth.

When she showed up on a photo she looked very happy. She WAS happy.

But it was always just her. There was no father - there was no Derek.

Sometimes she wondered if she had made a mistake not telling him.

Mer sighed. She felt kind of pathetic, still loving him more than life itself after eighteen years.

"_I managed this like I promised myself the day I left Seattle. I can't look back. Derek's past. But the kids are my present."  
_

She knew that Derek was The One and he'd stay forever in her heart through their joint children, but she couldn't presume to look back.

"_I'm sure he moved on as well. Hopefully he got happy with Addison finally." _she told herself and sighed.

Then she packed the album away, watched TV for a while and eventually went upstairs.

On her way to her room, she noticed that there was still light in Steph's room, so she opened the door carefully. Steph was lying in her bed, sleeping.

She had forgotten to turn off her desk lamp.

Mer sneaked through the room and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"I love you."

Steph grumbled while sleeping and turned around in bed.

Mer turned off the light and shut the door. Then she went of to sleep.

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	4. No Anesthesia

here's my update!

please review cuz it's a very long chapter and I tried hard ;-)

greets!

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"So, how's your feeling?" Derek turned to Tom, who sat right next to him on the passenger seat.

"Well, I feel optimistic about it. We practised hard, we have team spirit and we have a good captain." Tom told him.

"Oh well, Liam. He seems like a nice guy." Derek said, still observing the road.

"He's great. He's my best friend since kindergarten." Tom grinned.

"Yeah, your mom told me. Then he's your age, isn't he?" Derek asked inquisitively.

"Yep, he's seventeen as well. Just one month younger than me."

"I see." Derek smiled while searching for a parking space.

As he had found one, Tom gripped his sports bag and got out of the car.

"I see you after your game. Good luck!" Derek smiled.

"See ya!" Tom waved him goodbye and went into the locker-room.

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"YES!" Derek and Tom's mom jumped up from the stand and cheered.

Tom's and Liam's team was ahead.

Derek pursued the game, watching the boys, who ran for a very long time, but still didn't seem exhausted.

Then he heard the referee blowing the whistle. "FOUL!" he screamed.

Liam was lying on the ground, not moving for a few seconds.

""Shepherd?! Everything's alright? Do you want to substitute?" the referee asked and stooped over the bundle.

Derek shivered. He just saw a lot of players surrounding Liam, blocking Derek's view, thus he couldn't see exactly what was going on. He just hoped that the boy was okay.

After about half a minute, Liam got ready for standing up.

"You're alright?" the referee asked once again.

Liam nodded while getting up. He took off his helmet for a moment in order to go through his hairs. His face was dirty and he had some grazes on his upper arm. Then he brushed off the mud from his sweaty jersey which was navy/yellow colored.

"**Okay, the number 3 is up again, Buccaneers' team captain Liam Shepherd plays on!" **

it sounded out of the loud speakers.

"Shepherd, hm." Derek smiled. Shepherd. That was a strange coincidence. He saw a lot of himself in Liam and his name was Shepherd. Just like his.

_5 minutes left. _

"**The Buccaneers are far ahead and I don't think that the Lions have a chance catching up to them, there are only five minutes left!"**

Derek watched intently.

_4 minutes._

"**Shepherd got the ball!"**

_3 minutes._

**He's in process to pass it to the number 11, Jayden Parker and –**

_2 minutes._

**No! Parker's marked up – **

_1 minute._

**Shepherd's running a lone hand, he's running past the opposing team and – **

**TOUCHDOWN! **

Amid the applause of the crowd, Derek could hear the final whistling o the referee.

Derek and Tom's mom howled.

They saw the boys running together and caressing each other.

Tom slapped Liam on his back; the quarterback looked most exhausted of all, but he grinned.

Somebody whistled. "Good job, Liam!" a woman shouted. She was standing a few benches further down, obliquely in front of Derek.

Derek shivered as the voice sounded.

He turned his neck around and noticed a tall woman with blond hairs, who had a familiar ring.

"Let's go down to the boys" his sister took his hand and dragged him towards the field.

While walking, Derek turned around. The woman wasn't on her seat anymore.

About 10 meters away from Tom, he stopped dead in his tracks.

There was the voice he had heard. There were the blond hairs.

"_This can't be true." _Derek's eyes widened. His heard jumped and he felt sick to his stomach.

"Meredith." He soliloquized not averting his gaze from her.

He couldn't think. He couldn't speak. He just stood there like in trance.

His sister heard him. "Yeah, that's Meredith Grey." She's Liam's mother – but - how do you know?" she asked confused.

He was only listening with half an ear, but the last sentence didn't surprise him so much as he saw Mer hugging Liam.

He felt like he had to vomit.

His head was spinning. Words resonated.

"_**Um, yeah my mom watches as often as she can arrange it with her job. She's a surgeon." **_

_**BANG!**_

_**The bugger left my mom when she was not even all two month pregnant. In his defence, I have to say that he didn't know. Even so, he knocked her up and left her."**_

_**BANG!**_

"_**Ok, the number 3 is up again, Buccaneers' team captain Liam Shepherd plays on!" **_

_**BANG!BANG!BANG!**_

Derek still couldn't move. He felt paralysed.

There were so many questions in his head and he wanted them to be answered.

He didn't doubt that this boy was his son. He was an accurate copy of himself.

He had his eyes. He had his dimples. He had his hair…

_What did Tom say? Liam was one month younger than his nephew. That meant that he was born in May. Meredith left in November. That makes seven month. _

_What meant that she was about two month pregnant when she left; like Liam said. _

"_Why didn't she tell me?"_

"_Did she know that she was pregnant when she left?"_

Derek felt confused, angry and hurt. But most of all confused. And he still felt sick.

The fact that he had missed everything in his son's life caused him nausea.

"What's wrong with you, bro?" Tom's mom asked him anxiously.

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"You were great!" Meredith whispered in her son's ear. Liam smiled.

Mer closed her eyes for a moment. As she opened it again she was frightened.

"_No. No. That can't be true." _

There was Derek, only about 10 meters away from her.

Away from their son.

She shivered.

"Mom? Everything's alright?" Liam looked at her, wrinkling his forehead.

Before she could say anything Derek was approaching her.

His gaze was fixed on her. Tom's mother walked next to him. Meredith was confused.

They stopped in front of them.

"Dr. Grey! Nice to see you!" Tom's mother greeted her with a smile, not having a clue what was going on.

Tom and Liam stood there confused as well. Why did they stare at each other so stupidly?

"Derek." She said hoarsely.

"Mer." Derek still stared at her.

"Wait. You know each other?" Liam asked open-mouthed.

"I would like to know what's going on as well!" Tom's mom said. "Shepherd what is going on?!"

She always called him Shepherd when she got excited. And she was excited cuz her brother didn't answered her since minutes.

"Shepherd?!" Liam shouted. "Shepherd?!!" He turned to his mom.

"You're not serious are you?! Derek Shepherd? Like in "Liam Jett DEREK SHEPHERD" - SHEPHERD?!"

He went nuts.

"I assume." Derek murmured.

"You live in Seattle don't you?" Liam looked in Derek's fitting eyes.

Derek didn't say a word but Liam knew the answer.

"I can't believe this."

Liam's head was spinning.

"_This guy's our father. I have his eyes. His dimples. His hair …"_

He felt sick.

He was torn out of his thoughts as Tom's mom turned to her brother.

"Do you mean to say that this is Meredith from Seattle?!

The intern you had a relationship with before Addison showed up?!"

He nodded absent-minded. There were still too many thoughts in his head.

"Did I get this? My uncle is my best friend's father?! Tom shouted. He was confused like everybody.

Liam just stood there watching his parents staring at each other.

Thousands of thoughts rushed through his head.

There he was – his father.

The father he didn't waste a thought about since he had been 10.

The father he had tried to hate for leaving his mother.

For leaving him.

For leaving Steph.

Unknowing.

The father who had missed everything.

He was confused and felt like he had to puke.

"Seriously?" he asked his mother one more time.

She nodded. "Liam, this is your father. But I heard you already know each other…" She said softly while lowering her head.

Liam recollected himself.

"My father." This wasn't a question but a statement.

"I have to get away from here."

Liam avoided their gazes and walked away. He had to find Steph who had no idea what he had been told. He had to get some space.

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A few minutes Derek and Meredith just stood there and said nothing.

Derek wanted to get rid of his questions. But he couldn't speak.

"I think we should give them some alone time. Tom, let's go." Tom's mom said.

She rested her hand on her brother's shoulder for a moment and then she and her son left.

Another minute elapsed before Derek spoke up.

"Mer…" he looked at her hurt.

He continued.

"How…how could you not tell my I fathered a child?"

"You didn't." she whispered while looking to the ground.

"But – you just said – " he began confused.

She looked at him. Derek could see the tears in her eyes.

She drew near him, took his head in her hands and turned it around.

His glance got caught by a group of youths sitting in an edge of the field.

"You see the girl with the green/white striped sweater?" her voice nearly collapsed.

Derek nodded nervously. He swallowed.

"This is" she sobbed. "This is Stephanie Alyssa Jamie Shepherd."

Liam's twin sister. You're daughter.

Tears were running down her cheeks.

Derek looked at her, stunned. Then he bent down and threw up on the field.

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	5. You Broke Me

so here's the next chapter. sorry it took that long, I had a lot of tests in school. it's a short but I'm gonna update soon! promise!

greets,

steph

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While Derek got rid of the contents of his stomach, he tried to clear his head, but everything spinned around.

Mer sobbed while watching the picture of misery. What had she done? It was her fault Derek suffered like this.

_I have a smart son AND a daughter I don't know. This can't be true. I missed everything. Their first word, their first steps, their first day at school…_

Since thinking about this, he felt a new wave of sickness coming up.

"Derek…" Mer finally braced up and put a hand on his shoulder, desperately hoping he wouldn't slap it away.

A feeling of comfort ran through his strained body as her warm hand reached his tensed torso. His stomach sedated and his respiration began to slow down.

But then he thought about what the love of his life withheld him. That roused his bile.

After a few minutes of silence he tried to stand up, wobbly on his legs.

He wiped away his tears and looked at Meredith, with the most pathetic look she'd ever seen. That broke her heart.

"I don't know what to say." he told her softly.

"Me neither." Mer's eyes were red from crying.

"Mer..I have to be on my own for a while."

She tried to touch him but he didn't let her. "I can't forgive you yet."

"Forgive ME?! FORGIVE ME?!" Mer shouted. She couldn't take it anymore.

Derek stared at her, surprised by her outburst.

"Mer…" he started, but Meredith cut in.

"I'm not done already! You left ME! You chose HER! You broke me Derek! You broke my heart! And you dare to wonder why I left and escaped the humiliation of raising your children while you play happy family with Addison?! Seriously?!" her sobbing made it hard for Derek to understand the last words.

Derek made a step forward and pulled her in his warm embrace. She sobbed and tears streamed down her cheeks and wet his sweater.

They stood there for a long time, both realizing that they'd made the biggest mistakes in their lives.

Then Derek kissed her on her forehead and walked away.

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"What?!" Steph screamed.

"Tom's uncle's our father, how often do I have to tell you this?!" Liam shouted.

"Till I believe it."

Liam's first angriness faded away, but thousands of questions had replaced it.

"What does he look like?" Steph asked after a few minutes where she tried to clear her spinning head.

"Well, he looks like me. He has short black curls, blue eyes and our dimples.

Steph smirked. "And he's got that." Liam pointed at his sister's smile.

"How did he take it?" she asked concerned.

"Well, he was kind of speechless and staggered." Liam answered softly.

"Do you think he wants to deal with us?"

"I don't know. We'll see. Come on, let's go home." her brother told her while helping her to get up from the ground and they walked towards the parking lot.

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	6. Truth Time

finally a new chapter. in my denfence i have to say that I'm frantically busy cuz there are a lot of tests in december .

enjoy it,

greetz!

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"Liam" Mer whispered. "Time to get up." She joggled her sleeping son.

"What time is it?" Liam rubbed his eyes while waking up.

"Too late." She smiled at him, while she watched him taking cover under his blanket.

She grinned and pulled away his bedcover.

"Noooo…" he groaned. He really hated getting up that early.

"Liam Jett Derek, would you please get up right now?!" she asked him in an annoying tone.

He stared at her while she realised her words and last day's events crossed his and her mind.

Suddenly he was wide-awake. He sat up straight in his bed and raised his eyebrow.

"Sweetie…" she started. "I know that this is pretty much to handle for you but could we talk this over this evening?" she looked at him, pleading.

"Yeah. Sure." he answered numb and tumbled up.

"Thank you." She was obviously relieved. "Could you wake your sister?"

"Sure." He murmured, then he toddled to Steph's room in his boxer shorts. He looked down at his torso and touched a big scratch on his muscular chest.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed, clenching his teeth. Apparently he got that from his fall during the game yesterday.

He opened his sister's door and jumped on her bed like they did it when they were younger.

"Hey zombie, time to get up!" he shouted and smiled at her.

"What time is it?" she asked while trying to look at him but her eyes immediately closed again.

"Steph, when are you goingt to learn how to get up in the morning, I will not always be here to wake you!" he told her, pretending to be serious.

She just peered at him. "You sound like Mom."

"That was my plan." Liam smirked and jumped out of the bed.

"By the way, did she say something about…you know." she frowned.

"She just said we're going to talk about it in the evening."

"Oh. Okay." She responded disappointed.

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"See ya in the evening." Meredith smiled weakly before shutting the window of her car.

"Bye" the twins answered and walked to the entrance of their school, stopping in the auditorium.

"I have chemistry." Liam declared. "English." Steph told her brother.

"Well, see you later." He looked at her exhausted. "Yup. See ya." Then their ways split.

As Liam was walking down the corridor to his classroom, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked at - Tom.

Both stood there for about a minute, not a word was spoken. It was a weird situation.

Then Tom raised his voice.

"Well, cousins." He noted.

"Yeah. Cousins. Liam looked at the ground.

"I hope this isn't going to affect our friendship. Cuz you're my best friend." Tom smiled lightly.

His best friend looked at him blankly. "No. Of course not. I was just – jumped."

"Understandable." Tom grinned at him. Liam grinned back.

"Come on let's go and let's take your mind of your worries by listening to the great and boring Mr Humphrey."

"Yeah, that's going to be so great." Liam responded sarcastically.

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Nobody said a word. Liam, Steph and their mother just sat on the couch, staring into space. Mer looked at Liam who moved his foot nervously. It was ten o'clock and outside it was pitch-dark.

"Well, I don't know what to say." Mer finally admitted.

"Did you know?" Liam asked her with a keen look.

"What?" she asked inquiring. What could he mean?

"That our father's family lives only a few doors further along."

She respired. Thank god it was a question she could answer.

"No, I didn't. You know I never got to know his family."

"Why? Steph looked at her curiously. "You never told as anything except that he left you when you were pregnant and that he didn't know."

"Yeah. Truth time Mom." Liam supported his mother.

Mer held her breath. _What am I going to tell them?_

Eventually she came to the conclusion that Liam was right. It was truth time.

"So, first I should tell you the prehistory. On my first day back in Seattle, when I started my internship I went to a bar, Joe's, where I met a guy. He was new in town as well. I was very drunk and he took advantage. Or we we're both drunk and I took advantage. Whatever. Well, we – you know –"

"Had sex." Steph completed her mother's sentence because she seemed embarrassed.

"Yeah. He stayed at my house and in the morning I kicked him out. During my first day at work I discovered that he was a new attending and therefore my boss. He wanted to get to know me but I struggled against it. At first. After a while we started a relationship. Everything was fine, till the day his wife showed up."

"His wife?!" Liam couldn't believe what he had just heard. Great, he wasn't just a lovechild, he was an adulterous lovechild.

"Yes. But I have to tell you that she betrayed him with his best friend after eleven years of marriage. That's why he left her and came to Seattle. Then when we we're together she showed up and after a while of thinking he decided to give his marriage another chance. When I found out about you, I knew that I couldn't stand the humiliation of being pregnant with my married bosses child, well children but I didn't knew at that point that I was going to have twins. That's why I left. Besides I didn't want to ruin your father's marriage, although it didn't go very well. I knew that he still loved me but he felt obligated to give his wife another trial. That's the whole story. Well nearly the whole story but I skip details."

"He seemed so nice." Liam murmured.

"He is. Your father's the most wonderful man I've ever met. He's the love of my life and he wouldn't be Derek if he didn't even try to repair what broke."

"He broke you." Steph kept back her tears. Mer nodded lightly.

"What are we going to do now?" Liam asked after a while of silence.

"I don't know. Really, I have no clue. We all lived our lives and now, everything's out of control." Mer answered honestly.

"I think I get between the blankets." Steph stood up and her brother followed her.

"Me too." He said. "Good night." Both hugged Meredith. "Everything's going to be fine." Steph whispered. Mer smiled weakly.

About an hour after the twins went to bed Meredith was sitting on the sofa, covered in a blanked, reading. She was trying to, but thousands of thoughts crossed her mind.

Suddenly the door bell rang. She braced up and opened the door.

She was frightened even it wasn't a surprise that he showed up.

She looked in his freaking blue eyes. "Derek…"

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	7. Give Me Some Time

hey,

I know it took me a while to write a new chapter bt there were some things in my life which throw me off the tracks. But dont think that I forgot the story! I know it's short but I think I'm able to write more chapters soon. Now enjoy the story!

Greetz,

Steph

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"Hey…" he answered shyly, looking in her eyes.

Meredith stepped aside to show him that he was allowed to come in.

No word spoken in minutes, as they sat on the couch.. Both parents looked down and didn't dare to speak to each other.

"Mer…" he started. "I'm sorry. I think I screwed things up. I thought a lot about what you said yesterday – and – you are right. There is no apology for how I treated you. There will never be.

Tears streamed down his cheeks.

"I just – I just want to turn back time to have the chance to raise our children together with the woman I love."

Mer felt her heart crush. He'd never talked to her like this before. He had never been that honest.

"It's not to late Derek – I mean to get to know your children. If you want to."

"I would love to. But – do you think that they want to get to know me?"

Mer caressed his neck. "Give them some time."

She soaked in his scent and felt these butterflies she had always felt when he looked at her.

He looked at her with his freakin' blue eyes she was never able to never forget.

Then, when their faces came closer to each other, still glancing in each others eyes, just for one moment, time stood still, as their lips softly met.

"Hm.." Mer murmured as she closed her eyes. She wasn't thinking, she just enjoyed having him close to her.

"What about Addison?" she asked him as their lips parted.

"We got divorced two months after you left Seattle."

Really?" Mer felt kind of relieved.

"Really. I asked her for a divorce and she knew that our marriage was over the moment you came into my life. Because I love you."

He leaned in to kiss her again, but she stopped him.

Derek looked at her confused.

"I'm sorry but I can't. " she told him sadly.

He looked at her, hurt. He had revealed his heart to her and she pushed him away.

"It's not that I don't want to. I love you. But I just need time. And you need time to get to know the twins. I don't say that it's not going to happen. But a lot of things happened. Give us some time, okay?" she whispered while stroking his cheek.

"Okay." He answered. Then he got up from the couch.

"I think I should go now." He bent himself over her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Bye." Mer whispered while she watched him leaving the house.

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End file.
